OPIOID PAINKILLER ADDICTION
Rates of Opioid Painkiller Use Continue to Rise, Even in States that Legalize Medical Marijuana
Supporters of medical marijuana have often said that legalizing cannabis for medicinal pain relief purposes may help reduce the need for opioid painkillers. Proponents argue replacing opioid painkillers with medicinal cannabis will reduce painkiller addiction, overdose, and death, as millions of pain patients will switch from opioids to medicinal cannabis once cannabis is legal.
10 Questions to Ask Before Taking Opioid Painkillers
Patients must protect themselves from addictive medications by becoming informed on pharmaceutical drugs their doctors may try to prescribe them.
Deadly Counterfeit Pills Continue to Escalate Deaths
The presence of millions of counterfeit prescription drugs that actually contain fentanyl or other dangerous illicit drugs makes drug abuse more dangerous than ever. Just one pill can kill the unwary. We look at why and where this situation exists.
Are Medical Practitioners Still Overprescribing Opioids?
The foremost commitment of any medical practitioner is to do no harm, and the vast majority of physicians hold to that. But what happens when the very drugs doctors prescribe are harmful?
When Opioid Dosages Escalate, Risks for Addiction Increase
According to research data, there are new findings that suggest that as a doctor prescribes more opioids to a patient, the risks for addiction, overdose, and other adverse outcomes increase.
Opiates? Hospitals Now Changing Their Approach
One of my colleagues is a veteran nurse who works in a hospital in Baton Rouge. He was born and raised in a sparsely populated, underserved area of Louisiana which is now being devastated by the opioid epidemic...
Rural America—New Epicenter of Drug Use
The drug problem is no longer a “big city“ problem—it's in every city across the US. How did this happen? Growing up in rural, farmland Michigan, I would never have thought that drug addiction would become a problem for those of us accustomed to country living.
Teens Exposed to Opioid Painkillers in Medical Settings
When we think of how young people are exposed to opiate drugs, what is the first thing we think of? Probably the most likely answer is “peer pressure.“ And not without good reason.
Excessive Dental Opioid Prescribing an Anomaly in the U.S.
It is safe to say that treating oral pain problems is something that dentists often have to do. But how they go about treating such symptoms is another matter entirely.
Treating Pain While Avoiding Addiction—How Can We Help Pain Patients and Also Reduce Opioid Consumption?
An article in the Washington Post from early April 2019 focuses on Kirsten Gillibrand, a Senator from New York and a possible contender for the presidential candidacy in 2020. The article discusses Gillibrand’s efforts to curb the opioid crisis and the criticism she has received in doing so.